Waukesha girl's sweet gesture returned by grateful troops

Kristyna Wentz-Graff

Elizabeth Frost of Milwaukee hugs her niece Mackenzie Frost, 8, Tuesday at Hawthorne Elementary School in Waukesha. Frost’s father was killed in Iraq in 2008. Mackenzie and her fellow Girl Scouts sent cookies to U.S. troops overseas, and she got a special package in return.

When U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost was deployed to Iraq, he received Girl Scout cookies in the mail and even sent a photo of himself holding up a cookie. So when 8-year-old Mackenzie sold Girl Scout cookies this year for the first time as a Brownie, she asked her customers if they would be willing to donate boxes of cookies to send to troops in Iraq.

The second-grader wrote a note for each package introducing herself, explaining which Brownie troop she belonged to and how she came up with the idea. She also told the U.S. service members in Iraq that the cookies were a great way to remember her dad.

Christopher Frost was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq in March 2008 when Mackenzie was 5.

Touched by her heartfelt letter, as well as the 600 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sent by Mackenzie and the rest of the girls in Waukesha Brownie Troop 2653, the U.S. service members decided to say thank you the best way they knew how.

They sent her a care package.

And on Tuesday afternoon, in front of her classmates at Hawthorne Elementary School in Waukesha, Mackenzie was presented with gifts sent from troops in Iraq - a U.S. flag flown over Iraq in Christopher Frost's memory, a large framed photo collage and a video greeting from a three-star Army general who is deputy commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Wearing a pretty floral dress for the occasion, Mackenzie stood in front of her school and her family as Air Force officials honored her thoughtfulness.

Afterward she said, "I'm really happy the soldiers in Iraq gave me all these wonderful presents. . . . It feels good because I'm sending cookies that my dad really liked."

In January, Mackenzie's Brownie troop leader described the Girl Scout Operation Cookie Share program that offers customers the option of buying cookies for military members. Mackenzie, whose favorite is any Girl Scout cookie except for Caramel deLites, told her mother, Tiffany Goodson, that she wanted her troop to collect donations for cookies so she could send them to the same Air Force public affairs unit her father served in on his two deployments to Iraq.

Goodson said her daughter was surprised and thrilled when the service members later contacted her.

"We figured we would send the cookies and we wouldn't hear back," Goodson said. "When we were talking about it, I said we'll do one nice thing that would teach her about community service projects and that if you do something nice for others, a kind act, that you should not expect something in return. She wasn't expecting it."

Mackenzie and her fellow Brownies collected enough donations for 600 boxes in a variety of flavors. After seeing the story a few months ago on Fox 6 News, Jeff Bukowski offered to help package and ship the cookies.

Bukowski started a nonprofit organization, St. Francis-based Honor Our Military Inc., that ships care packages to military members twice a month. With Bukowski's help, Mackenzie and her mother loaded boxes of Girl Scout cookies into larger cases - between 16 and 20 boxes of cookies in each package - and filled in the gaps with donated Beanie Babies for troops to give to Iraqi children as well as candy, gum, school supplies and toiletries. Bukowski used Honor Our Military's postal shipping account, which printed prepaid mailing labels with donated funds.

On March 5, 74 boxes were dropped off at Milwaukee's main post office. Total cost to ship: $1,258.

"We thought, we just had to do this for this little girl," said Bukowski, whose daughter served in Iraq.

Lesson in patriotism

Mackenzie's second-grade teacher, Sue Henriksen, said few of the girl's classmates knew that Mackenzie's father died in Iraq. The second-graders are now studying the Revolutionary War and learning about patriotism, which, Henriksen said, will make them appreciate even more Mackenzie's efforts to remember U.S. troops in Iraq.

A hush fell over the children seated cross-legged on the school gym floor as Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick spoke to Mackenzie via a video shot in Baghdad. The three-star general praised the Waukesha girl for her generosity and for making a difference in the lives of so many serving so far from home.

"Mackenzie's efforts truly stand out when you take into consideration her age, her overwhelming dedication, the scale of her accomplishment and the tremendous sacrifice she has endured. Mackenzie, to you, thanks for sharing that fond memory of your dad. We're very proud of his and your patriotism and hard work," Helmick said.

Mackenzie shook the hands of Air Force members, including a colonel who traveled from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina for the event. She posed for pictures in front of her framed gifts with her Brownie troop, her second-grade class and her family.

After Mackenzie's classmates slowly walked by the flag and collage decorated with commemorative coins, pictures of service members holding up the toys and cookies and a letter from Helmick, Mackenzie and her mother stepped forward for a closer look. The girl leaned near to read the words of gratitude. She smiled at her mom and said "that will be in my room."